April 24, 2013

Big Story Weather – April 24, 2013

Big Story Weather from April 23: Unseasonably cold air struck the Central United States with places like Kansas seeing accumulating snowfall. Oklahoma and Texas dealt with a hard freeze which had implications on trees and sensitive vegetation. Places like Denver, Colorado recorded temps running about 30-35 degrees below normal, while Kansas City saw temps around 20-30 degrees below normal.

Big Story Weather Discussion for April 24: Low pressure over western New York will bring showers to the Northeast and these will also extend along the cold front back into Texas. Some places could see near two inches of rainfall. Behind the front a few snow showers will mix in over parts of Illinois and Indiana. A strong and cold area of high pressure will slide into Texas today keeping the region well below normal for temps. A weak clipper system will hit the Northern Plains with some more light snowfall. The West Coast will remain dry and nice again today.

Here is the weather for a few select cities:

Boston MA: Mostly cloudy with a few rain showers by this evening. High temps will be around 55F and low temps will drop to near 46F. Total rainfall will be around 0.15 inches.

Orlando FL: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 75F. Overnight lows will be near 67F.

Kansas City MO: Partly cloudy with a few snow showers this morning. High temps will be around 50F and low temps tonight will be around 30F. Total snowfall should be less than 1 inch.

Denver CO: Partly cloudy today with high temps around 46F and low temps will fall to around 26F. This will make for another well below normal day in the region.

Seattle WA: Partly cloudy and cool with a high near 65F and low temps near 48F.

April 24, 2013 Storm Tracker Update:

Atlantic Basin: Low pressure moving towards England will bring showers and clouds to the area. Low pressure now moving into the Western Atlantic will make its way eastward with high winds and seas for the region. A third area of low pressure moving into the Great Lakes will bring rain and snow also a few isolated thunderstorms to the region.

Eastern Pacific: Low pressure moving through the Gulf of Alaska will bring another day of rain and snow to the southern coast of Alaska.

Western Pacific: Low pressure moving over the open Pacific will bring winds and seas to Midway Island. Another area of low pressure moving through Japan will bring heavy rains to the region and even mountain snows. Another area of low pressure is now moving through Central China. Expect to see showers and snow showers with this low as well.

Indian Ocean: No major impacts in this basin today.

Southern Hemisphere: Numerous low pressure areas continue to transit the basin. Look for an area of low pressure to bring showers and strong winds to parts of Chile. Another area of low pressure will bring strong winds and showers to parts of South Africa later today. A third low pressure area is now impacting southwest Australia with showers and thunderstorms for places around Perth.

Five-Day Storm Index Outlook for April 24-28:

Boston MA: This evening the region will see slight impacts as showers move into the area. The remainder of the period will be impact free.

Orlando FL: The period will start impact free, however by April 28 the region could see slight impacts associated with an area of showers that will move into the region.

Kansas City MO: The region will have moderate impacts this morning with some light snow still in the area. Another chance of slight impacts for both April 26 and 27 as more showers move into the region.

Denver CO: The next five days will be impact free.

Seattle WA: The next five days will be impact free.

Climate Watch for April 19-23:

Boston MA: The region started the period out with temps around 8-18 degrees above normal but quickly got colder as the remainder of the period saw temps around 8-15 degrees below normal.

Orlando FL: The period started with temps about 9 degrees above normal but also cooled down for the remainder of the period with temps around 2-8 degrees below normal.

Kansas City MO: The unseasonably cold weather continues for the region with temps ranging from about 1-27 degrees below normal for the period.

Denver CO: The cold weather continues here as well with temps ranging from about 2-34 degrees below normal for this time of year.

Seattle WA: The period started with temps about 2-5 degrees below normal before warming to around 1-4 degrees above normal for the remainder of the period.

Major Weather Impacts Discussion for April 24, 2013:

Day 1-3: Low pressure moving into the Great Lakes region will bring plenty of rainfall for the area. This will be falling on top of already saturated grounds increasing the chance for flooding in this region. The showers will also extend into the Gulf Coast region where a few thunderstorms could be in the mix. High pressure over the Plains will bring another day of unseasonably cold weather to the region with temps around 15-30 degrees below normal for a wide area in the region. A nice day in store for the West Coast. Later this evening a few snow and rain showers will also push through the Northern Plains. Day two will see high pressure over a good portion of the United States with a few snow showers along the Great Lakes. By day three high pressure will move out to the Mid-Atlantic allowing for a new low to develop over Oklahoma bringing a few showers to the area. High pressure will also be over the West.

Day 4-7: The period will start with the low pressure area moving into the Gulf Coast region bringing a few showers and thunderstorms to the area. High pressure will remain along the East Coast. An Alberta Clipper will begin to push across Central Canada towards the United States. Day five high pressure will still be along the East Coast, while the interaction between the clipper system and the weak low over the Southeast will provide some rainfall to the Southeast and back into the Northern Plains as well. By day six a stationary boundary will develop along the Gulf Coast bringing showers to the region. Another low pressure area will move through the Northern Plains bringing showers to the area. The period will end with low pressure moving through the Plains bringing showers to the region. This will extend into the Great Lakes and also southward into the Gulf Coast region where a few thunderstorms could be found as well.

Day 8-12: The period will start with low pressure extending from the Great Lakes and the cold front all the way to the Gulf Coast which will provide rain and thunderstorms to the entire region. High pressure over the Western Plains will dominate the West with partly cloudy skies. Day nine the storm system will push up the East Coast bringing plenty of rainfall to the area from New York to South Carolina. Day ten will have low pressure along the East Coast with showers extending along the coast, while a new low pressure area takes shape over the Southwest. By day eleven the storm system will push into the Mid-Atlantic region. Expect showers and a few thunderstorms with this low. The low pressure in the Southwest will slowly move towards the Texas Panhandle bringing rainfall to the Plains and some high elevation snows to the Rockies. The period will finish with the low pressure area moving into the Ohio River Valley with the cold front extending to the Gulf Coast. Expect to see rain showers and some thunderstorms along this front.

Long Range Outlook: This period will start with low pressure remaining in the Ohio River Valley bringing more rainfall to the area. The middle of the period will finally have the low pressure moving into the Northeast, while a new low develops over the Southwest. The period will finish with multiple low pressures moving across the United States.

Today’s Spotlight Forecast is for Cleveland OH:

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with showers and a high near 48F. Overnight low will be around 33F. Winds will be from the northwest 10-15mph with total rainfall amounts around 0.95 inches.

Thursday: Partly cloudy with a few morning showers. High temps will be around 46F and overnight lows around 35F. Winds will be from the west 5-10mph and total rainfall will be around 0.15 inches.

Friday: Partly cloudy and warmer with a high near 52F. Winds will be from the southwest 8-13mph as overnight lows fall to around 40F.

Saturday: Partly cloudy and mild with a high near 60F. Winds will be southeast 2-7mph as overnight lows fall to around 47F.

Sunday: Partly cloudy with a few morning showers. High temps will be around 60F and overnight lows will be near 50F. Winds will be from the southwest 5-10mph and total rainfall will be near 0.05 inches.

Ask The Weatherman for April 24, 2013:

Question: What is the difference between the Southwest Monsoon and the Northeast Monsoon?

Answer: Excellent question as we get ready to head into the Southwest monsoonal season for the Northern Hemisphere. What this consists of is a reversal in wind patterns as the southwest winds will start to pick up and bringing with them warm air and moisture to the Southwest United States. This makes for a wet season. Now, the opposite can be said for the winter phase called the Northeast Monsoon. During this time the winds become northeasterly and usher in colder winds from the Rockies towards the southwest and also drier air.

*** To have your question of the day answered or have your city spotlighted for the day make sure to visit redOrbit on Facebook. ***

Green Energy Weather Report for April 24, 2013:

Wave Energy: The Northeast will have around 396mwh, while the Mid-Atlantic will see about 562mwh. The Southeast will be around 294mwh, while the Gulf Coast will be around 25mwh. The Southwest will have a range of around 507mwh and the Northwest will be around 199mwh.

Solar Energy: The best places today will be extreme Northern Maine and also along the Mid-Atlantic region ahead of any thunderstorms and through most of Florida. High pressure over the Plains will bring plenty of solar energy to the region and the West Coast will enjoy a modest amount of solar energy today.

Wind Energy: The winds will be best for creating energy along the Mississippi River Valley today just behind the cold front.

Hydro-Energy: The rain will bring plenty of short term energy from the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley all the way south into the Gulf Coast region.

April 24 Weather and Your Wallet (Sioux Falls SD):

An Alberta Clipper system will move through the region tonight bringing with it the chance of rain showers for the area.

Dining: A cool day will give way to showers by this evening. If you want to enjoy lunch outside you should be fine but tonight the rain will impact any dining plans.

Transportation: No problems with the morning commute but this evening there could be a mix of ponding and even some black ice on the roads as temps fall below freezing.

Shopping: If you want to go do some spring sale shopping, this morning would be the best time as the rain moves into tonight and it gets colder.

Electricity: There will be a moderate need for heating during the overnight hours as the forecast is for 30HDD’s on the day. Also during the day look for cooler temps requiring some heating as well.

Yard Work: No Growing Degree Days forecasted for the grass or garden today.

Construction: Any outdoor projects should be accomplished this morning before the rain moves in to the area.

Outdoor Venues: This morning would be a good time to take the dog for a walk or even go for a walk at the Falls before the rain moves into the region this afternoon.